


Little Christmas

by MachiMari



Category: Free!
Genre: Childhood, Christmas, M/M, makoharu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 19:23:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17289920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachiMari/pseuds/MachiMari
Summary: It’s almost Christmas time and this year things are a little different, according to little Nanase Haruka. Something about Makoto seems different and Mrs. Tachibana as well.Was her stomach always that big?





	Little Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I guess you can say this is a late Christmas fic but Christmas does last for 12 days so I think I make the cut. I actually started writing this up after 2017 Christmas to have it ready for 2018 but I forgot about it, ahehe! So I hope I have no typos.
> 
> It takes place during Makoto and Haruka’s childhood. I hope you enjoy!

"Haru-chan!"

 

A womanly voice echoed through the house as it called out to a child. The wooden floors creaked as a pair of little feet made its way to the kitchen, to where the speaker stood.

 

"Yes?"

 

The mother turned around to look at her child. "Ah, there you are. We're going to go out to do some holiday shopping after I finish up the dishes and clean the living room, okay?"

 

Nanase Haruka nodded at his mother and steered clear of her way. He walked by the living room and glanced in its direction.

 

After a few minutes, Mrs. Nanase finished up with the kitchen duty. "Now, time for the living room and then we're all se— huh?" As she walked into the living room, there was no mess to be seen. Everything had been neatly put away and the room even sparkled of cleanliness.

 

Quiet thuds were heard as Haruka came down the stairs to wait by the entrance. "Haru-chan, did you clean up?"

 

The quiet boy nodded at his mother.

 

"What did I do to deserve a son like you?" Mrs. Nanase gave her a son a hug and squeezed his face. "Why don't we invite Mako-chan to shop with us? I bet Mrs. Tachibana would let him. Then we'll stop by to pick him up."

 

Haru's ocean blue eyes twinkled for a moment and nodded.

 

"I'll give her a call to not be so sudden." The mother left to make the quick call as Haru put on his shoes and waited by the entrance. He heard some laughter coming from both his mother and the phone, the women making jokes.

 

A soft knock was heard on the door, surprising the blue-eyed boy. He didn't want to interrupt his mother's conversation as it would be rude to do so. Taking matters into his own hands, Haru slid the door open. The sun was awfully bright on the cold, winter morning, creating a sort of aura around the visitor.

 

"Haru-chan!" An angelic-like figure stood before the entrance, smiling ever so brightly and offering warmth.

 

"Makoto", said Haru in surprise. He was a bit surprised because they were supposed to pick Makoto up on the way out.

 

"Mama sent me here as soon as possible to not make any trouble for you."

 

A gust of cold wind blew in their direction, causing for Makoto to shiver. Haru suddenly snapped out of his daze and remembered his manners. "Come in, you'll get sick if you stay out."

 

"Thank you! Excuse me for intruding." Makoto gladly entered the familiar house. "Should I take my shoes off? Or are we leaving right away?"

 

"Mom's still talking on the phone but we should stay ready, just in case."

 

The green eyed child nodded. He let out a small gasp and raised the object he had been holding the entire time. "This is for you!" It was some food sent by Mrs. Tachibana as a sign of gratitude and generosity for allowing her son to tag along. The Tachibanas were very grateful to the Nanase family and vice versa; each enjoyed their friendship very much. 

 

Haru looked at the bag of food and gave thanks. He liked Mrs. Tachibana very much and thought she was the kindest women on the planet. Some of it reflected back on her son.

 

"I can put it in the kitchen for you!" offered Makoto. He quickly took off his shoes and rushed to help. Unfortunately, he moved too quickly and slipped on the floor.

 

Haru moved on time to catch him before there was a chance of crashing to the ground and spilling the food. "Makoto, be careful. You can get hurt."

 

The olive-haired child lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry Haru-chan. I'm always so clumsy", he said in a shaky voice.

 

Haruka sighed and tapped him, indicating for his friend to raise his head. "Are you okay?" After seeing the other nod, the black-haired boy took the food. "Makoto is a guest, so it's only proper if I put it away."

 

Understanding, Makoto nodded and rubbed his eyes to clear up any possible tears.

 

"My, my~! Mako-chan is already here!" Mrs. Nanase had finished her phone call and made her way to greet the guest. "I'm happy to see you made it here safely! What a big boy you're becoming! How's Mama doing?"

 

Makoto nodded happily, forgetting he was ever sad. "Mama is doing great! She saw me walk here all the way and I didn't even slip!"

 

Mrs. Nanase laughed. "Auntie is so proud of you!" She gave the little boy's cheeks a light squeeze. "Mako-chan is so cute, don't you think Haru-chan?"

 

Haru had returned from the kitchen and was caught by surprise with the question. He gave his mom an annoyed look and turned to the side. Immediately he knew that Makoto's feelings would probably be hurt so he had to answer. "I guess."

 

"Alright boys, time to get this show on the road." The mother put on her coat and grabbed her purse. "I'm going to be watching you both but please watch each other. Haruka, please watch over Mako-chan. I know you're a big boy." She gave her son a kiss and then kneeled over to Makoto. "Does Mako-chan think he can help watch over our boy over here?"

 

Makoto nodded immediately. "He is always watching me so I'll do my best to take care of Haru-chan too!"

 

The woman smiled and stood up. "Okay, then let's go!"

 

The decided destination was the mall and upon arriving, the atmosphere was filled with the Christmas spirit. There were decorations everywhere and the lights twinkled like stars. The children were amazed by the view and Makoto began to talk excitedly as they held hands for their "buddy system".

 

"First, I want to buy a present for your mom", said Mrs. Nanase as she looked over the mall's map, talking to the green-eyed child. "And I need your help to pick out her present."

 

Makoto was thrilled to help and flocked over to Haru's mother, leaving Haru’s side. The quiet boy watched his friend, who was full of ideas to make his mom happy, which was one of his top priorities. The olive-haired boy then looked over to his friend and grabbed his hand. "I didn't forget about you", he said with a smile. It reminded Haru an awful lot of Mrs.Tachibana and it showed that Makoto was inevitably her son.

 

The trio walked around the mall and the children spotted a toy store. "Why don't we take a quick peek", offered Mrs. Nanase.

 

Makoto pulled Haru inside and admired all the toys. However, it seemed like Makoto had been here before because he lead the way to a specific aisle and stared at a particular thing. It wasn't really a toy but a coloring book of the ocean. On the cover was several goldfish that appeared to be swimming in the sea.

 

Haru noticed they reminded him a lot of Makoto's goldfish back at his house.

 

"Just like Grandpa’s..." said the younger of the two, staring in awe at the book. He was referring to a friend of his, an old man who worked at the docks. Recently, Makoto was gifted with some goldfish from his elderly friend. He adored his new pets and made sure to take great care of them.

 

The cover of the book was pretty alluring as the black-haired boy found himself also impressed.

 

"I always pass by here with my parents when we come shopping", added Makoto. "I really do like it."

 

"Why don't you ask for it?" asked Haru out loud, not understanding why his friend would go through the trouble of only admiring from afar instead of going for it.

 

Makoto was quiet for a minute before answering, looking a bit sad but quickly regaining his spirits. "Because I can't anymore."

 

Haru did not understand what that meant. "Were you grounded?"

 

The other shook his head.

 

Haru had another question but he hesitated a bit. It was a bit sensitive and he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings.

 

"What is it Haru-chan?" wondered Makoto curiously. He didn't like it when Haru was troubled.

 

"... Are your parents... poor?"

 

Makoto smiled and squished his friend's cheeks, taking him by surprise. "You are too nice!" He let go and offered a warm smile before replying. "Nope!"

 

Blue eyes blinked, running out of ideas to ask. What on earth would keep Makoto from asking? It was something he usually did without thinking and the Tachibanas wouldn't hesitate to provide.

 

"I want my parents to save some money for baby toys", came an answer as if reading his mind.

 

Baby toys? Haru still did not comprehend what Makoto was going on about. Why would the Tachibanas need baby toys? That'll only be necessary if they were going to have a baby.

 

That's when Haru suddenly realized. Were the Tachibanas going to have a baby? He quickly turned to ask his friend but his own mother intervened.

 

"How about we go somewhere else now?" She smiled at both of them and the conversation was over. Makoto grabbed ahold of Mrs. Nanase's hand while Haru grabbed her other one.

 

It bothered Haru throughout the whole trip the incident with the coloring book but he didn't let it show to avoid worrying Makoto. Maybe it was a private reason but he had a feeling his mom knew.

 

"Ah are these your children? They are so cute! I love little kids!" said a passing high school girl. “Let me guess your ages."

 

She took a long look and decided. Pointing at Haru she said, "You must be the oldest and", when pointing at Makoto she said," you must be his little brother!”

 

Makoto was shorter than Haru so naturally people assumed he was younger. Sometimes it hurt his feelings because he wanted to feel older too and he would shy away. Haru was about to correct the girl but Makoto let out a giggle. "Oneechan is so funny!"

 

It left the blue eyed boy completely bewildered. A lot of things about Makoto seemed to be changing and Haru couldn't figure out why.

 

A few hours later, the shopping trip was over and the trio headed on home. Before they reached the top of the stairs to where their houses were, Mrs. Nanase stopped Makoto. "Can Mako-chan do me a big favor? Can we keep this a secret from your mama and papa?"

 

The green eyed child nodded eagerly and giggled at their little secret. He whispered something into her ear and they both giggled. Haru frowned at the fact of being left out and wondered what they were talking about.

 

They reached the top of the first set of stairs and stopped to drop Makoto off.

 

"Nanase-san and Haru-chan! How was my Makoto today?" asked Mrs. Tachibana, upon opening the door.

 

Mrs. Nanase nudged her son to answer. "How was he today?"

 

Haru was not pleased with being placed under the spotlight, which he found that his mother did quite often especially when it involved Makoto. He didn't understand why but he noticed that Makoto staring at him, eagerly waiting for his answer.

 

".... He was good today."

 

"I'm glad to hear that. Maybe I'll let him go out more often with you!"

 

Haru looked up to Mrs. Tachibana and realized she looked a bit different than usual. He couldn't tell what it was but it would be rude if he asked.

 

"Ah, we're sorry for keeping you out here for so long. We don't want for the three of you to be cold, right Mako-chan?" Mrs. Nanase winked at the little boy who smiled proudly.

 

The black-haired boy noticed his mom made a mistake. Maybe she counted him among the three?

 

"Mama go in, I don't want the two of you to be cold, like Auntie said!" He said as he ushered his mother in.

 

Mrs. Tachibana laughed. "Let me just say good-bye."

 

While the adults were exchanging good-byes, Haru noticed that Makoto was tugging at his mother's shirt to go inside. Normally, Makoto would be the one to be ushered inside because he likes to hang around Haru.

 

The Tachibana child caught sight of Haru’s watching and smiled. “Bye Haru-chan! I hope you had fun today because I sure did!”

 

As the Nanases walked on, Haru heard from afar the voice of Mrs. Tachibana saying, "He is already acting like a big brother."

 

Maybe he heard wrong because he was a bit far after all.

 

Once they were inside, Haru dared to tell his mother. "There's something different."

 

His mother expected to hear this and sat in the living room with her son. "What is?"

 

"... Makoto and even Mrs. Tachibana."

 

Mrs. Nanase squeezed her son's cheeks. "You're always so observant."

 

"But I don't know what it is."

 

His mother stood up and patted his head. "Well, I think that's something for you to ask Mako-chan." As she left, Haru noticed a baby bag among the things his mother bought that day.

 

The next afternoon, Mrs. Nanase invited Makoto over for some hot chocolate and cake. Haru was still a bit young to suspect his mother had purposefully done this to give him a chance to clear things up but nonetheless he was a bit pleased for this.

 

"I'm so glad you had time to come over”, said Mrs. Nanase upon greeting her guest inside.

 

"Always for you guys!" replied the cheerful boy. He especially smiled when he saw his best friend. "Hi Haru-chan!" Normally he would run up to him but this time, there was walking.

 

Haru decided he would definitely ask.

 

After the beverages and snacks were served, with Makoto constantly asking to help out, Mrs. Nanase announced that she had some laundry to fold so she would be back in a while.

 

Haruka sat in silence as he watched Makoto eagerly reach out for a slice of chocolate cake. The green-eyed boy stopped when he noticed he was being watched and turned to his friend.

 

Haru's face flushed slightly, especially when Makoto offered his plate. "Here, you can have it."

 

The blue eyed boy was confused and a bit embarrassed. That's when he started to talk. "I thought that was your favorite flavor."

 

"But doesn't Haru-chan want them? That's why you were looking at me, right?"

 

Haru didn't really touch chocolate cake because he knew they were Makoto's favorite but he didn't mind eating it.

 

"You've been acting a bit different", he said without thinking. He felt bad for calling his friend out, especially when the other froze. "Not in a bad way!" he added immediately.

 

Makoto smiled. "Sorry. I'm just trying to act older, like you!"

 

"Why do you need to act older?"

 

The olive-haired boy giggled and his face shone as brightly as the sun. "Doesn't Haru-chan know? I'm going to be a big brother!"

 

Haru blinked as he absorbed in the information. So the baby stuff his mother had yesterday was for Mrs. Tachibana.

 

"Is that why you wanted your mom to go inside quickly yesterday? And why you said you couldn't ask for toys anymore?" He cleared up.

 

The olive-haired boy nodded. "Sorry I didn't tell you before. I was sure Auntie was going to beat me to it and I didn't want to bother you."

 

Haru couldn't help but smile at his friend. He had such a pure heart and Haru knew that the new baby would be in great hands. "Congratulations Makoto. I know you will make a great, big brother", he said finally while keeping a smile. “But, I don’t think you need to change because... Makoto is perfect the way he is.”

 

Upon hearing these words, the Tachibana child’s eyes twinkled and he threw himself to hug Haru.

 

Mrs. Nanase stood in the hallway, out of the children’s sight and smiled upon hearing their conversation before leaving off to the kitchen.

 

The rest of the stay went with Makoto chatting excitedly about the new baby and Haru supporting his ideas. It seemed scary to take care of a baby but that's why Haru had to be there to help his best friend.

 

After Makoto left that afternoon, the blue eyed child rushed to find his mother. "Can we go to the mall today?"

 

It was finally Christmas day. The Nanases went over the Tachibana house to help around for the holiday dinner they were to share. When Haru saw Mrs. Tachibana, he noticed how the size of her stomach had changed and confirmed his suspicions about how she looked different.

 

During their meal, Haru kept looking at his own mother from time to time with what looked like as impatience but she would tell him to wait.

 

When the meal was over, the children were told to play while the adults cleaned up. It was evident that they also were going to catch up on any news but it also gave the kids a chance to play.

 

They went up to Makoto's room but on the way, Haru caught a glimpse of an empty room that was in the process of being fixed. "That's for the new baby", pointed out the future big brother.

 

Once they entered his room, Makoto started asking Haru questions concerning if he was comfortable or not. He had the impression that Haru was desperate to go home. "Sorry", Makoto said finally.

 

"For what?" The black-haired boy was caught by surprise; these days were just full of surprises for him.

 

"For boring you and making you want to go home."

 

"Why are you saying that?"

 

"Because you kept looking at Auntie, like you wanted everything to be over." Now it was Makoto who was being observant. He almost read through Haru's true intentions.

 

Haru couldn't find anything to say in return because his friend was almost right.

 

"You should tell me if something bothers you. You're the guest and it's my job to make sure you have fun!" By this time, Makoto sounded a bit upset. He always wanted to please Haru and the thought of not being friends was unbearable.

 

"Haru-chan, it's time!" called out Mrs. Nanase's voice from the kitchen.

 

Haru gave Makoto an apologetic look for not being able to give him an answer and hurried to his mother.

 

The olive-haired child sat there in a sort of daze. It never crossed his mind that one day his friend would become eager to leave his house.

 

"Mako-chan, come here", called his own mother. Nonetheless, he was the host and he wanted to at least do a good job at sending the guests off. Makoto looked back to his bed before heading down.

 

When he arrived, the Nanases were still seated at the table. In fact, there weren't any signs of them leaving yet.

 

Green eyes scanned the area, wondering what might be happening. Maybe Haru didn't want to be his friend any more and they wanted to tell him the news. Maybe he shouldn't have followed Haru so much because he could've been annoying instead. Maybe, this was all part of the big change. A new person was going to a part of his life and that probably meant someone had to leave so there would be room. Unfortunately, it seemed to him that Haru was the one.

 

Little insecurities quickly filled up the Tachibana child and he could feel his tears well up.

 

"Oh honey, what's wrong?" asked his mother, noticing her son’s emotions.

 

Makoto rubbed one of his eyes and ran to hug her, burying his face against her legs. It was as if he was reverting back to how his baby self acted.

 

"Maybe he's tired", suggested Mr. Nanase as he looked at the clock.

 

Makoto was only a child after all and the day had been quite busy for them.

 

"I'm sorry", apologized Mr. Tachibana to the Nanase family.

 

"No, don't be! Mako-chan was such a good boy today, his energy must have run out. I bet you all must be tired too, especially your wife", replied Mrs. Nanase with a smile.

 

Makoto continued to hug his mother and caressed her belly, wearing a sad and now tired look on his face.

 

"I'll put Makoto to sleep", offered Mr. Tachibana to his wife and carried his son. "Say goodnight, Mako-chan."

 

The little boy gave a rather shy and quick good-bye before burying his face into his father's shoulders.

 

The Nanase parents waved at Makoto but Haru only watched. Why did his mom say it was okay for Makoto to leave when it wasn't?

 

Just then, Mr. Tachibana excused himself and began to walk upstairs to Makoto's room.

 

"W-Wait!"

 

The Tachibanas looked at the blue-eyed boy, who rarely called attention to himself. This meant it was important for him.

 

"Haru", said his father a bit surprised. "We should let Makoto rest."

 

However, Makoto's attention was caught and he looked down to the blue-eyed boy.

 

"It's fine", assured Mrs. Tachibana upon seeing her son's reaction.

 

Haru quickly ran to his own mother, who had been keeping a wrapped box this entire time. He took the gift, hurried over to where his friend was and held it up in his direction.

 

"This is for Makoto."

 

Not having expected this, the olive-haired boy stared in wonder. He looked at his dad, who smiled at him and feigned a surprised gasp. “What’s that, Mako-chan? You want to open it?” Once Mr. Tachibana sets the child down, both parents nodded for him to accept the present and Makoto walked over slowly to his friend.

 

"For me?" He asked, unsure if had heard correctly.

 

Haru nodded and placed it in his friend's hands. "You can open it now if you want."

 

There was no way Makoto was going to wait. He took the present to his mother and bounced excitedly while she opened it.

 

The three Nanases couldn't help but smile at the eagerness of the little boy.

 

When it was open, Makoto couldn't believe his eyes. His mother gasped and smiled at her son. "Look Mako-chan, it's that book you always love to see."

 

Sure enough, it was the coloring book with the goldfish cover that Makoto had shown Haru the day they went holiday shopping.

 

His eyes shone brighter than the Christmas lights as he admired his new treasure.A big smile spread across his face, not showing a trace of sadness from before.

 

Without warning, Haru found himself nearly falling over from Makoto throwing himself onto him. If it weren't for Mrs. Nanase, they'd surely be on the ground.

 

"Oh thank you Haru-chan and Auntie! And Uncle too!”

 

The black-haired boy couldn't help but smile at how happy he had made his friend. Makoto's happiness was Haru's happiness.

 

"Makoto", called out Mrs. Tachibana in a sweet tone. "Don't you have something?"

 

The little boy gasped as he suddenly remembered about the surprise he had. He gave his mother the present he had received and scrambled up to his room.

 

"Be careful", called out his father, and ran after him to make sure his son didn't slip on the stairs.

 

"I wonder what it is", asked Mrs. Nanase to her own son, who was just as curious.

 

The green eyed child returned with his father, carrying a nicely wrapped gift. It was blue, like the ocean and Haru's eyes.

 

"It matches your eyes!" stated Makoto, as a reason why he chose the wrapping paper. "This is for you! I hope you like it!"

 

Haru was speechless when he saw the gift pushed in front of him. How was Makoto able to contain his excitement about giving a gift and he himself wasn't able? Haru took the gift, not wanting to send a bad message and looked for an approval to open it.

 

"Do you need help?" asked his friend, sounding a bit eager to wanting to tear the paper apart.

 

"Honey, why don't we let him open it?" suggested Mrs. Tachibana in a soothing tone that calmed her son down.

 

The blue wrapping paper was carefully and neatly opened, as if trying to preserve the paper. A box was revealed and upon opening it, two necklaces were found underneath all the tissue paper. It was the kind that when locked together, a heart was formed and read the words “Best Friends”.

 

Haru’s eyes twinkled as he admired the thoughtful gift and lifted his gaze to look at Makoto. He realized he had kept quiet for a bit too long because the other little boy began fidgeting and looking nervously at his mother.

 

Part of Makoto felt that Haru liked the gift but considering his thoughts from earlier, he just wasn’t sure anymore. “I-I hope you like it. I can take it back if you don’t”, he quickly added.

 

“Oh sweetie, what on earth would make you think Haru-chan doesn’t like it?” softly asked Mrs. Nanase.

 

For the second time that day, Makoto’s eyes began to tear up. “Because he can’t be my friend anymore and I thought he wanted to go home as fast as he can.”

 

“Mako-chan! What makes you say that?” asked his surprised mother.

 

That’s when the little boy explained his worries about becoming a big brother and the changes that were soon to come. All the adults looked at each other and laughed at how innocent children can be sometimes. His parents explained to him that a new baby only adds in one person to their lives and nothing gets taken away. A huge wave of relief washed over the little boy’s heart and he went over to hug his mother.

 

“Makoto”, called out a soft voice. Upon getting his friend’s attention, Haru gave him a hug and looked him in the eyes. “I will never stop being your friend.” Taking the necklaces, he laid them out for Makoto to pick.

 

“I want Haru-chan to have ‘Best’ because you’re the best”, smiled the green-eyed child.

 

“But— “, began Haru until his mother stopped him. She told him to respect Makoto’s choice and that it was the way he intended for the gift to go.

 

“I can have ‘Friends’ so that I always remember your words: we’ll always be friends.”

 

The parents couldn’t help but smile at each other and thank the stars that their children got along so well. They were both different but that’s what made them compliment each other; as if they were soulmates.

 

“How about we counter this gift with a ring?” said Mrs. Nanase to her son. The grown ups laughed meanwhile the children stared at each other in confusion, unsure at what the adults were hinting.

 

Makoto just looked over at his companion and offered a smile. “Merry Christmas, Haru-chan!”

 

The blue-eyes boy returned the smile. “Merry Christmas, Makoto.”

 

Suddenly, Mrs. Nanase loomed over them holding a familiar leaf with berries: mistletoe.

 

Haru huffed at the sight while Makoto only looked up curiously. “What’s that, auntie?”

 

“This is ‘mistletoe’, Mako-chan. Do you know what happens when two people stand under the mistletoe?” laughed Mrs. Nanase.

 

The younger child shook his head and turned to his mother for the answer, who let out a giggle. “They kiss”, she responded and looked at her friend.

 

Makoto looked at Haruka, who glanced at him quickly before looking up at the mistletoe, feeling quite shy. The green-eyed child smiled and leaned in to plant a kiss on the other’s cheek. Haru looked back at Makoto in surprise, and murmured the smallest “thank you”.

 

Mrs. Tachibana snapped a picture with her camera and smiled, looking over at her friend’s and husband. “I know these two will grow up to become fine, young men.”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: And that’s a wrap! Thank you for reading my fic!


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